This is a fascinating insight into the working relationship between Orson Welles and his cinematographer Gregg Toland ASC on Citizen Kane.

Welles apparently spent the first week shooting Citizen Kane unaware that it was the DOP that set the lights, not the director. Toland, to his credit allowed Welles to do so until someone told Welles how it was meant to be.

It reminds me again how important *process* is to the working relationship between a DOP and a director. You have to find a way of working where you can trust each other and take risks.

Toland, against convention, indulged Welles and that is truly commendable. What a spirit of adventure !

Sometimes you’re asked to do things that are against instinct, process or protocol. It’s worth remembering that sometimes you have to embrace the unconventional, and do things that make you feel uncomfortable.